COVID-19: Manitoba doled out 6 public health tickets last week

Only six Manitobans were ticketed for violating COVID-19 public health orders last week.

In a release Tuesday, the province said three of four $1,296 tickets for individuals were connected to gatherings in private residences or outdoors, one $296 ticket was given to someone caught not wearing a mask in an indoor public place, and one $2,542 ticket went to what officials allege is a repeat offender.

Another 58 warnings were given during the week ending July 18, according to the release.

Enforcement numbers have been falling in Manitoba in recent weeks.

0:49 Manitoba COVID-19/Vaccine Numbers July 19

The week ending July 11 saw 15 tickets handed out, the week before that saw 24 and 37 fines were doled out the week of June 21 through 27.

The province saw its busiest week of enforcement in late May when 161 tickets were handed out, with the majority going to those caught at gatherings banned under health orders at the time.

Over the weekend Manitoba loosened its COVID-19 restrictions to allow indoor gatherings of up to five people, on top of those who live in a household, and 25 people in indoor public spaces. Outdoor gatherings are expanded to 25 people on private property and 150 in public spaces.

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Businesses, such as casinos, museums and movie theatres, can open at 50 per cent capacity but only fully vaccinated Manitobans can take part.

1:23 COVID-19 fall outlook

Since enforcement started in April 2020, the province says a total of 5,145 warnings and 2,061 tickets have been issued to individuals and businesses, resulting in more than $2.8 million in fines.

Earlier in the year, the province announced it would begin issuing double fines for repeat offenders caught breaking COVID-19 public health orders.

An extra $100 default convection penalty is also added to unpaid fines, and the province warns those who don’t respond to tickets will be prohibited from renewing a driver’s licence or vehicle registration until the ticket is paid.

The province says nearly 3,300 personnel across various agencies are currently able to enforce public health orders.

Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, visit our coronavirus page.